China’s largest chipmaker reportedly supplied chipmaking tools to Iran’s military, a disclosure that threatens to deepen the rift between Washington and Beijing at a critical moment in the U.S.-Iran war.
SMIC sent the tools to Iran’s armed forces, Reuters reported Friday, citing two senior Donald Trump administration officials.
According to the report, the officials did not specify whether the tools were of U.S. origin, which would likely make the shipments a violation of U.S. sanctions.
One official added that the cooperation almost certainly included technical training on semiconductor technology, while another said the tools were provided to Iran’s “military industrial complex” and could be used for any electronics that …
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